Greater prestige and a chance to attract new investors

The status of a city entails a change in the image and adds more prestige to the town. It is also an opportunity to attract new investors and obtain funds dedicated to urban development.

"Our government does not leave smaller towns on their own. I wish that this award would enable new cities to develop faster, with better infrastructure," said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. He added that it is worth restoring hope for fair and sustainable development.

In the case of new cities, the proposed status change was positively evaluated by municipal councils. The granting of the city status was also preceded by social consultations with the inhabitants. The decision to award the city status is determined, among other things, by the degree of urbanisation of a given area. All new cities show functional and spatial features that reflect their urban character. The majority of their inhabitants make a living from non-agricultural activities. New cities are also well-connected with other places. 

As of the new year, Poland will consist of 964 cities

During his speech, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki reminded that most of the new cities would regain city rights that they had lost, among other things, as a result of tsarist repressions after the January Uprising. 

"Our cities have gone through various crises. Many villages that today are becoming cities were punished by the Tsar for the January Uprising. He indicated that cities such as Cegłów, Bolimów or Lutomiersk are examples of the way we change history. It also means an increase in the aspirations and ambitions of local communities," he concluded.

From 1 January 2022, Poland will consist of ten cities more than before. The city status will be awarded to:

Pruszcz - in the municipality of Pruszcz, district of Świecie, the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Pruszcz became a city in 1367 and held that status for 500 years. The city rights were taken away by the Prussians in 1867. The city contains buildings erected at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries that have been listed in the register of monuments of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, including the parish house from 1886.

Izbica - in the municipality of Izbica, district of Krasnystaw, the Lublin Voivodeship. Izbica is another town that regained city rights that had been lost as a result of the tsarist repressions after the January Uprising. This place held the city status in 1750-1869. National road No. 17 through Warsaw-Lublin-Hrebenne and the Rejowiec-Hrebenne railway line run through Izbica.

Lutomiersk - in the municipality of Lutomiersk, district of Pabianice, the Łódź Voivodeship. The place has the longest tradition of being a city. It held the city rights in 1274-1869, which is almost 600 years. The central part of the city remains under conservation protection. An important place for the inhabitants is the Salesian Monastery.

Bolimów - in the municipality of Bolimów, district of Skierniewice, the Łódź Voivodeship. It held the city rights from 1370 to 1870. The city is situated next to the A2 motorway. The centre consists of a complex of the former market square and church, with the historic layout of the town. The preserved layout was entered into the register of monuments and remains under strict conservation protection.

Cegłów - in the municipality of Cegłów, district of Mińsk, the Masovian Voivodeship. Cegłów held the city rights from 1621 to 1869. The historical layout of this place has been preserved.

Nowe Miasto - in the municipality of Nowe Miasto, district of Płońsk, the Masovian Voivodeship. The town obtained city rights in 1420. Fairs that refer to various historical epochs - from the past to the present - have been regularly organised in the city.

Jedlnia-Letnisko - in the municipality of Jedlnia-Letnisko, district of Radom, the Masovian Voivodeship. Until 1917, it operated under the name of Mokrzec Swoboda. In the interwar period, the first summer houses modelled on the Świdermajer-style villas located near Warsaw were built in Jedlnia-Letnisko. These days, it is a tourist destination that attracts people with its interesting history, historic wooden architecture and unique atmosphere. 

Olsztyn - in the municipality of Olsztyn, district of Częstochowa, the Silesian Voivodeship. It lost the city rights obtained in 1488 as a result of tsarist repressions. This place is best known for its location on the Trail of the Eagles' Nests. Above the city, there is a hill with ruins of a 14th-century castle. 

Iwaniska - in the municipality of Iwaniska, district of Opatów, the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. The town held the city rights in 1403-1869. The regional roads No. 757 through Opatów-Iwaniska-Staszów-Stopnica and No. 758 through Iwaniska-Klimontów-Koprzywnica-Ciszyca, located near the ruins of the Krzyżtopór Castle in Ujazd, run through the city.

Kaczory - in the municipality of Kaczory, district of Piła, the Greater Poland Voivodeship.After World War I, Kaczory became a border town. The most valuable relics of this place, entered in the register of monuments, include the Church of St. Andrzej Bobola from 1912 with an organ front made after 1912 and a baptismal font from the beginning of the 20th century.